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This week, Louis is joined by actor and comedian Vinny Thomas to discuss RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18, Marty Supreme, the season finale of Marty Supreme, their favorite gay TV shows, Avatar: Ash & Fire, and James Cameron’s recent comments on award nominations. Louis is also joined by Ethan Hawke to discuss his Golden Globe-nominated performance in Blue Moon.

 

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TRANSCRIPT

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Louis Virtel And we’re back with an all new season, year of Keep It. I’m Lewis Frittal. Welcome to our eighth, ninth year of keep it. We started in 2018 and I’m still talking. What on earth is there still to talk about? And yet I continue. Our guest host today is, there’s a running motif on this show. We again have a cast member of the show Platonic. It is the fabulous, usually a front facing comic, just generally, but also Platonic’s own Vinny Thomas.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, thank you guys. Louis is bravely looking at me from the side.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Vinny Thomas That so rarely happens.

 

Louis Virtel And by the way, I just want to say, after doing all these guest host shows where we’re just looking one direction, I truly do have a best side and it’s the other side of my face. And I bravely use this side of the face to camera. Did you lay it out and everything? We’ve asked all the viewers and yeah, they’re disturbed. I keep throwing this half of my phase with them.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, I’m so sorry.

 

Louis Virtel We must talk about the most pressing issue of the day, which is Drag Race is back.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel Do you follow drag race generally speaking? Do you care?

 

Vinny Thomas I do follow Drag Race. I think for the last few years, if I’m being honest, I’ve fallen off a little bit. I think I definitely had a peak where I loved drag race and now everything is drag race. Everything’s so oversaturated, drag race, there’s drag race in every single country on earth.

 

Louis Virtel It does feel a little bit like how my process with American Idol, which was I peaked with it at one point and then after a while, oh, I like watching it in groups. And that’s sort of where I am with Drag Race. It’s one experience to watch it with a ton of people because we don’t have another show like that right now.

 

Vinny Thomas Well, no, I mean, we’ll talk about it later, but Heated Rivalry is kind of like that now.

 

Louis Virtel You watch that with a group?

 

Vinny Thomas Well, they put it on in bars. They put it out in high tops. You go and watch it. Can I just say you need to be you need to be alone or yes, you need to be alone for private reasons?

 

Louis Virtel Look, I have to say, you know I don’t believe in the binary. You know I do not believe in that.

 

Vinny Thomas Absolutely.

 

Louis Virtel However, do I need to hear every woman in my life declare how horny they are at the gay horny material?

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, kind of.

 

Louis Virtel You think so?

 

Vinny Thomas I think it’s nice.

 

Louis Virtel I think its private times.

 

Vinny Thomas Everyone’s involved.

 

Louis Virtel I think its private times.

 

Vinny Thomas Anyway, drag race.

 

Louis Virtel Yes!

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, I think I’m falling off a little bit just because it’s gotten a little difficult to keep up with everyone. And I don’t know, it just gets repetitive. Like it’s kind of the same sometimes thing every season.

 

Louis Virtel Well, I will say, when Joe Rogan was talking with Miley Cyrus that one time, he’s like, the queens always do the same thing, they always jump into the splits. I’m not saying that’s exactly true. It was a little true. I’m like, I’m, I I’m.

 

Vinny Thomas I agree with that.

 

Louis Virtel I would say the queens do bring innovation and stuff, but you’re right. Once you’ve seen, I’ll say 10 seasons of this show, it’s hard to feel like you’re dredging up anything new. That said, we got something quite new this season, which was Cardi B was a guest judge. And can I tell you, you know what this show could use? A fourth judge who just sits there and says, I hated it or I liked it.

 

Vinny Thomas That’s great. Yeah, finally. Finally, someone is a little bit brutal. I like when Law Roche is a judge on that show, personally. I think he’s a lot of fun. But Cardi B was awesome, too. Wait, another point I was gonna make with regard to American Idol and why it’s similar to American idol, which is that American idols stopped being interesting when they stopped putting the crazy people on American Idol to audition. Yes. You know what I mean? Because sometimes you would watch American Idol and you would earnestly not know who was gonna go up there and what they were gonna say. I think all the queens for the past few seasons have been much too reasonable and television has become too safe.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. Reality-wise. Well, I think what’s going to save us in that regard this season is that, as the show itself points out, a lot of these queens are over 30. And let me just say to the people who make Drag Race, please continue bringing on older queens for a couple of reasons. One, it’s just way easier to root for a queen who got into this business probably before the age of social media. And probably never expected to make a real living at this, let alone enter this kind of machine industry. That being a drag queen has kind of become. But also, older queens, I’m sorry, and you know this means a lot to me, have heard of things. Oh my God, these children today, I mean, they just have no prayer knowing some of these older references. Like we’re clinging to Mommy Dearest, we’re cling to things that are older than, I mean I’m telling you, the oldest thing these people know is the fucking show The Office. And I’m Sorry, Jenna Fischer still looks like that.

 

Vinny Thomas Can I say something? I don’t know that it’s necessarily reflective of age. Do you know what I mean? I think you they should go out of their way to find the witty like weird Yeah, Queens who like do know about that, but you got to find The weird ones right like Jinx was making references that no person alive should be making no

 

Louis Virtel No, it almost should be illegal.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, it’s not right. Let’s have that conversation. It’s not right. But yeah, they need to get the zanier queens on. I also, I don’t think it’s fair to put people who have only been on social media in front of a camera like that. I think pheromone is a good example of what happens when sometimes someone is like too nervous and they end up just kind of embarrassing themselves a little bit because you’re not ready for that moment or whatever. I don’t think I felt bad for pheromon.

 

Louis Virtel I also feel bad in a way for people like that who go on The Traders, too, where the only edit you can possibly get is either good guy or very bad guy, you know? And so it’s like, well, if you’re not one of our two designated heroes for the season, guess what you are? Screwed. You’re screwed. I did really enjoy this first episode, namely Cardi B. You know what? I always think of Michelle Visage as really direct and truth-telling, and not that She’s not. But Cardi B sort of thrust to the fore a reminder that you could always go harder. Like we still don’t really have a Simon Cowell on that.

 

Vinny Thomas Look, I love Michelle Visage very hard name to say for me as someone with big teeth But I do think sometimes her opinions are weird. Like sometimes our opinions are like I don’t like green right? What what does that mean? Which is now?

 

Louis Virtel Which is now like part of her constitution like she’s still bringing up that she doesn’t like green

 

Vinny Thomas Terrible a terrible thing to say it’s not right. It’s not true. It is not an opinion. It isn’t fair. Cardi B, she says she doesn’t like something and I immediately agree with it because it is not likable. You know what I mean? She is right. Not only is she hating a little bit, but she is correct. You know? She’s correct. Yeah. Do you have a drag name? Oh, Riavinder, there are so many.

 

Vinny Thomas You do? Okay.

 

Louis Virtel I mean, I have a list on my phone. I feel like every gay guy has a list of his phone of drag names, right?

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, I have two. One is Willowy Swank. Just like a tall queen with long hair, that’s who I would be. Also.

 

Vinny Thomas We got a head shake over here.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, somebody’s upset?

 

Vinny Thomas It’s not good. I’ll say that.

 

Louis Virtel The producers are just like fully giving me like the Apollo game.

 

Vinny Thomas Willowy does not rhyme with Hillary.

 

Louis Virtel No, that’s just it sounds like you have marbles in your mouth too, which I like Willoweeshwank. See you love it.

 

Vinny Thomas Why not Willowestank or something, right?

 

Louis Virtel But I am Hillary Swank. I am a two-time Academy Award winning actress. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you. And then also just as a name precisely, like that’s her first name. Like Ru refers to the girl, precisely what are you doing this episode? You know, it’s just I like precisely as a as a name as a moniker.

 

Vinny Thomas Okay, I have so many that I’m sure have been done before, but I think would be so fun, like Rachel Slur.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Vinny Thomas Right. Or, or Lydia Tupperware.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, okay. I love confusion about a pun.

 

Vinny Thomas They’ll figure it out.

 

Louis Virtel Like in the middle of it, it’s just like la la la.

 

Vinny Thomas It’s a pun but about something no one cares about no one’s interested. Yeah, right What are you talking about? Um, yeah, and just one word is fun too, right like Slime yeah. Yeah would

 

Louis Virtel My friend Andy in Chicago says he would just be called the cunt. Yeah, you’re just like, yeah, just like why not, you know?

 

Vinny Thomas And he just walks into a room and like pushes everything off a table immediately.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, that’s it. One time, I hooked up with somebody and they’re like, oh, I do drag. And I was like, what’s your name? What’s your drag name? She goes, bird shit. I have never laughed harder. That is so funny.

 

Vinny Thomas Bird shit?

 

Louis Virtel Bird Shit. He said it like the heavens had emerged. Bird shit. See, it’s like, I can’t explain it. Drag names are like life-affirming.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, they’re amazing. Split P, oops.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Vinny Thomas Split P oops.

 

Louis Virtel A little nasty.

 

Vinny Thomas They hate it. A little nasty for sure.

 

Louis Virtel Have you ever performed in drag?

 

Vinny Thomas No, I dressed up as, what’s her face? Who’s the trad wife influencer with the white husband who like makes cereal from scratch?

 

Louis Virtel Oh, I can’t know about that.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh, you do know about that. Really? She’s like a famous trad wife? Nara Smith. I dressed up as Nara Smith for Halloween one year. No one recognized me as Nara Smith, but they did not recognize me as me. So I was shaking hands with friends I’ve been friends with for years because I think I just was, I don’t want to brag, but pretty not clocky dressed up in my Nara Smith costume. Thank you.

 

Louis Virtel I’m going to say you’ve got the dainty features and I can see you doing drag really well. Whereas I am in the, I’ll say, Willem community where when you have that like mandible that comes from like Dick Tracy, just like some people don’t belong in drag.

 

Vinny Thomas I mean, it just doesn’t work as well. Yeah, you have a Dick Tracy mandible. I was one of the first things I thought about you. Yeah, you’re like, aha. Tracy mandibles.

 

Louis Virtel Dick mandible, for sure, yeah. At any rate, we have a very exciting episode. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. Okay, we’re gonna get into, finally, a post-mortem on Heated Rivalry, which we talked about on an earlier episode, but since then has launched us into some like unforgettable queer experience that we all have been a part of. And by the way, their press tour is a part of it and still going on. So we’re going to talk about just what that show accomplished, if we like it. What We Think of Heated Rivalry, and then our guest today is, I think, one of my favorite actors. In fact, it would be kind of crazy if he weren’t one of your favorite actors. It is the fabulous Ethan Hawke, who is Golden Globe nominated for his performance as Lauren’s Heart in Blue Moon. We will talk about that movie. We will talked about a lot of his movies, his appreciation for movies. And then we will get into the new movie, Marty Supreme, starring Timothee Chalamet. He has been stomping through the awards since he just won the Critics Choice. And he’s got that. What did he call, his partner of three years, Kylie Jenner, I was like, partner of 3 years? I guess that is technically true. It felt so impersonal when he said it. Well, I…

 

Vinny Thomas Partners probably not in the romantic sense yeah I mean like they’ve been business partners for the past three years

 

Louis Virtel I guess. Yeah. So we’ll talk about that movie and the return of my girl, Gwyneth Paltrow, who gives a performance in that movie we will discuss. Anyway, it’s all coming up on Keep It. We’ll be right back.

 

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Louis Virtel Some of you may have thought December 25th was Christmas, but the best of us observed The Cottage Eve. Of course, we’re talking about the season finale of Heated Rivalry, a show that seemingly everyone is hot over. We’ve talked about the show’s first few episodes, but now we’re going to get into the season as a whole and where the season stacks up against our other favorite gay TV shows. So Vinny, most importantly, are you a Hollander girl or a Rosenau?

 

Vinny Thomas I think I’m a Hollander girl, for sure, in the sense that there’s something about Hollander that’s a little bit empty. You know what I mean? Right. And he’s often, he’s maybe a little boring sometimes. You know I mean. I’m that. I’m staying at home. I’m not in the clubs, pursing my lips. You know, I’m at home reading book.

 

Louis Virtel Can I tell you what I’m exactly doing? Into club person lips. That is who I am. I am definitely a Rosenoff person. I think because I like how sure he is in a Russian Eastern European way, but then also it’s not like he’s invulnerable. You know, like he has his moments, he’s still capable of opening up. So I really appreciate that.

 

Vinny Thomas I appreciate that actor went crazy on that role, by the way.

 

Louis Virtel Excuse me. That’s one of the revelations of this TV show. When we first watched the first couple of episodes, I think we all agreed it was entertaining and very sexy, but it did not really feel like an acting showcase. By the end of the show, I thought this could be no two other actors. They nailed these roles. They’re so believable, which by the way, Most of the show is just the two of them talking, like there’s no B-story. You know like the idea that they can occupy a full hour and just speak to each other and it’s never boring exactly I think that’s fucking

 

Vinny Thomas It could have been very easily. I mean a hollander’s character is I think in the book autistic Yeah, and he portrays him as autistic but never in a way that feels like Bland or like a caricature just he’s a normal words bait or something words bait Yeah, I mean he just he does a great job and then I don’t know their names

 

Louis Virtel Our story is Ilya and then Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, Connor’s story learned Russian for that role. He did not speak Russian before. And there’s something about his lip posture. Even the way he eats food is like Russian. The way he’s always like this, literally, he’s a Russian guy. He became Russian for this thing. That was amazing. You know? A lesser person, me, would have done a caricature.

 

Louis Virtel Well, also, by the way, when the show starts, you kind of wonder if it’s a Russian caricature because it sort of feels like maybe an easy accent to do. But then as the show goes on, to say it gets more difficult is Tip of the Iceberg. When he does that full monolog in Russian, is that the second to last episode?

 

Vinny Thomas There’s no way, there’s no way to know.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, well, I mean, they truly all blend together. It is one seamless cinematic experience. It’s so impressive. And like in the press, apparently his Russian interpreter heard him do it in one take and then thought, yep, it’s all usable. So he’s got some like preternatural Meryl Streep-like ability to tap into.

 

Vinny Thomas Whatever rogue or accent you throw at them. I think it’s amazing that that show blew up, you know? I think every now and then there’s a show that I’m like, oh, I did not see this coming. And this was that one, I don’t think anyone did. I don’t think the cast, anyone saw it coming for it to blow up in this way, but.

 

Louis Virtel Excuse me, it’s from the Crave Network. What the hell is that? It sounds like, I don’t know, some like down-low sex club you go to in like Vancouver. I was at the Craved Network last night.

 

Vinny Thomas The Crave Network, truly the, like, underground railroad for, like horny gay guys. Yes. That’s what we call it, is the Crave network. What would you say is your favorite scene on the show? I really like the other couple. I like the couple when he came in. I’m always interested in this take. Why? Interesting. Well, I don’t know. That one felt like, maybe it’s because it feels attainable, right? Like he’s this famous hockey player, this sports guy, he’s just going in and seeing this barista and falling in love with his barista, right. So. You can put yourself into the shoes of the barista in a way that you can’t with the romance between the two hockey players, right? There’s a little more fantasy, there’s a more accessibility to that fantasy, I think, than to the two sports guys.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Does that make sense? And also, their relationship is pretty simple. It’s just they like each other and they would like to spend time at home.

 

Vinny Thomas And I was shocked when I found out it was a book, but it all kind of made sense. I didn’t know it was book first, but then once I saw the other two gay hockey players, I was like, oh, everyone’s gay. This is going to be like a bunch of gay romances within hockey. This had to have been a book. And it was the book. And I love gay romance novels. I listen to a gay romance novel whenever I go on a road trip.

 

Louis Virtel Really amazing. Yeah. Oh, do you have any favorites? Because I know nothing in this regard.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh, yeah, there’s a there’s a werewolf series called the Kinkade pack. All of these are written, by the way, by women, which I think is incredible.

 

Louis Virtel No, women are superheroes in this-

 

Vinny Thomas in this genre, yeah. Called the Kinkade Pack, and it’s all about, I think the first one is called The Alpha and His King or something. Oh, I’m sure it’s not explicit at all. Oh, it’s ridiculous. Yeah, I am sure orifices are getting claimed. Orifices getting claimed, and look, it is not necessarily hot to me, for me it’s like more interesting, but for some people I imagine it really is. Yeah. But it’s fun. Give them a listen whenever you go on a road trip.

 

Louis Virtel I think my favorite scene in the whole show, I love the one where he just goes over to his house. This is like episode four, I think. And I’m talking about Shane visiting Ilya. And they’re just chilling. It’s like, it’s basically the scene where they realize that something more is happening. Like they hook up. And by the way, again, I must congratulate the show for how hard they go with the sex and like never relented, you know, it just like, that to me is novel, you on all my favorite gay- TV shows. I just didn’t see a lot of that. And by the way, I know there was a whole hubbub about whether or not the sex on these shows was believable. Yes, it was. I feel like everybody has had sex that kind of looks like that.

 

Vinny Thomas I think it’s fine. I don’t I also really don’t care if sex on television is believable Am I right like I don I don’t need it to be I don’t care about the believability of sex right now I don t need to see the whole preamble to like and also sex for everyone is so different Everyone’s into weird shit right what I mean, so I guess I don´t I don ´t agree with that and it was good It was hot. No precisely

 

Louis Virtel constantly erotic, etc.

 

Vinny Thomas Constantly erotic, et cetera.

 

Louis Virtel Constantly erotic, et cetera. My other underground Vancouver sex network, I take part in. But the other thing I’m impressed with is their interviews for this, to me it’s both interesting how they remain very candid about, for instance, like the. Queer TV shows and movies they’ve grown up watching, et cetera, while also not giving away their sexual orientation, not that I’m saying they need to do it. Like for instance, if I were a part of this TV show, I’d be talking constantly about all the gay shit I’ve been up to. I just think it would be relevant. But you don’t have to. And the fact that they can get around it while still seeming like they’re actually giving sincere, thoughtful responses is kind of rad. I don’t know. Like to me they’re pulling off something I didn’t expect.

 

Vinny Thomas Look, and I see why they’re not being explicit about it. At the end of the day, it does still, if you’re a gay actor and you’re constantly talking about being gay off screen, it sometimes, I think, will affect your, the way casting people see you, and it unfortunately will affect their choices. So I think Connor’s probably the gay one, right? Who’s to say? Who’s say? No one is to say. But I think… Um, he’s making a good choice because I think he’s well poised to become kind of the Heath ledger of this generation. Do you know what I mean?

 

Louis Virtel Well, also, by the way, I mean, like, that’s kind of the one thing I wish these two actors could talk about if they were being more open, which is, isn’t it kind of fucking suck that I might not be able to do my job because I’m being open about who I am? Yeah. You know what I mean? It’s just like, to me, that’s a reason to not take part in a profession. You know, what I mean? Like that means acting is not good enough for me, if that’s what the case is.

 

Vinny Thomas I also do think part of the reason they’re doing so well at the interviews and why they’re so, I don’t know, they seem so cool and like normal is because, I dunno, they didn’t expect this show to blow up, so they’re grounded, normal people. Imagine if they made this show with two famous actors. How much more annoying and weird and cold the interviews would be, I guess.

 

Louis Virtel Right. Also, I think it really draws you into the two of them because they clearly have an understanding with each other, like, oh, we’re just not going to go there. And that makes you believe they’re really good friends, you know, that they could just like be level with each other and say, hey, we are not going talk about the specifics of our love lives. Yes, we’re going to use these hands to illustrate it. And yet still talk really extensively about how incredible it was to work on this show. I do feel like I will probably re-watch it too, which I’m surprised to say. I can’t think of much TV. I have narrative television I’ve been watching.

 

Vinny Thomas I can see you re-watching it. He’s going to fast forward to a few select scenes. I’m probably going to do several re- watches through the year, I bet.

 

Louis Virtel Well, by the way, again, I’m not somebody who ever craved erotic mainstream content. I just, I didn’t think it was that necessary, other than I love an erotic thriller. I know that’s right. Yes. I love it erotic thrill. I love people like stabbed after having, you know, a fatal attraction like a fair, but that’s it.

 

Vinny Thomas Work. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel I love people’s staff. Dang. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What are you?

 

Vinny Thomas Favorite gay TV shows past present future well I have to say wait favorite or most important There are some shows that I would qualify as gay that maybe aren’t necessarily like gay. Do you know what I mean? Like CatDog. They are? Let’s talk about the CatDogg. Yeah, let’s have a conversation about the cat dog. And who’s tapping the catdog? Yeah, well, is it even possible? That’s what I want to know. Yeah, I don’t know. I think CatDogue is queer. I think catdog is like a little bit asexual, but queer in the sense that they are half cat, half dog. I think it’s allegorical. I think there was a whole period where Nickelodeon was making crazy, like, weird jokes.

 

Louis Virtel You’re exactly right, like the late 90s, even after they had crazy shows like The Adventures of Pete and Pete and you’re talking about these kind of pre-SpongeBob but into SpongeBob Exactly.

 

Vinny Thomas Exactly. Spongebob came out of this era. It was, um… You know what? You know who’s tapping CatDog, SpongeBob? Oh, big time. First of all, I was going to do the laugh. I had to stop myself from doing the laugh! No, I mean, Porous?

 

Louis Virtel I mean, just it’s- let’s be-

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, absolutely.

 

Louis Virtel Absolutely, he’s riddled with holes. Yeah, absolutely. Ding. I know, right. Cat dog, that was your first instinct when answering this question.

 

Vinny Thomas Well, yeah, I’m talking about like, I don’t know, what could I say, I could sit here, I could be like, Glee, I actually think Glee was really heroic, and like I really, I liked Glee. I watched Glee a lot. And I think Gleep was kind of like a formative gay show. But I don’t know if it’s like, I don’t know if I’d call it one of my favorite like gay shows, you know? Sense8, Sense8 is fun.

 

Louis Virtel Now Sense8, I think that has a little bit of everything. It’s a really interesting show, really sexy show, and also queer show, like explicitly queer show. That should be revisited. Have you watched the original Queers Focus at all? No. Here’s what I’ll say about that. I love that it was a show that represented exactly the time it was in. And we do not have a lot of early 2000s representative anything. Like who thinks about that time in history? And it’s like the gay guys on that show will go to a party and realize, oh, it’s a bareback party. I should probably leave. So it takes you back to that time in history that’s really interesting. And I love the performances on that Show. That show could be both really rowdy and emotional. So I do think it’s a heated rivalry precursor in that way. Okay, I’m gonna have to watch Queer as Folk? I mean, that’s a show people watch and then like- Did it get remade? Yes. You said the original, okay, gotcha. Yeah, there was one a couple of years ago that took place in New Orleans. And Kim Cattrall was on it. We sometimes keep trying with her. But not that hard.

 

Vinny Thomas Not that hard. What’s another show you really love? It’s Six Feet Under. Does that count? Oh, totally. Six Feets Under, I feel like counts as a gay show. While everyone on it is gay, there’s only really, I think, one gay character. We’re two, I guess, technically. But it just feels gay. It feels gay to watch. Something about it is very, like, something about it as sapphic, totally, and also,

 

Louis Virtel Also, I mean, I think the definitive best ending of a TV show in history. Oh, it was really good. I cried. And what’s gayer than crying? Yeah, you’re right. It’s the gayest show of all time. I think another show I have to bring up is Looking. Did you watch Looking when it aired? I didn’t watch Looking. No, I need to watch Looking I’ll say this. Unlike Heated Rivalry, which definitely is reaching for fantasy in certain regards, just like the heatedness of their whole thing feels like it’s out of a novel. This was not going for fantasy in any way. Like it was just like, here is somebody’s life. Here are the friends they hang out with and sort of the foibles of this rather ordinary life. We need that too. I was psyched for that to exist and Jonathan Groff was fabulous. It couldn’t have been anybody else. I was a hater of this show when it first aired because I thought it was too boring. But you know what? Most lives are a little boring. And if you’re going for this journalistic perspective of here’s what it’s like to live like this, it was a really well done show.

 

Vinny Thomas Sometimes gay men who are naturally inclined to hate themselves in media. I think sometimes a little bit I think looking might have been too grounded. And so that’s gay guys are like, I don’t want to watch this, you know Well, yeah, I Don’t think people like

 

Louis Virtel to think of themselves as boring. So I think when watching that show, which was just very content to be, to go with the pace it was, maybe it read to certain people as you’re underselling what our lives are like, I have no idea. But at the same time, not every show should be a Sex and the City whiz-bang as Sex and The City. So…

 

Vinny Thomas There should have been some element of magic in looking. I think we can both agree. I think they should have been able to make fire with their hands or something. That would have been great.

 

Louis Virtel You really have set something on fire with CatDog though, in terms of just crazy characters you connect with for some reason who probably are a little gay coded ultimately. Oh yeah, absolutely.

 

Vinny Thomas I think they knew what they were doing at the time.

 

Louis Virtel You know, I’m just saying like old bewitched, like Aunt Andorra on that show. I mean, like you also had Uncle Arthur played by the fabulous and definitely gay Paul Linde. But just, there are characters that ignite something in you as a person that separates you from straight people. And I do feel like that’s kind of what you’re talking about.

 

Vinny Thomas I mean there’s also, and I think this is like a generation maybe a little bit after us, but the entire suite of like tender queer shows when you had like Steven Universe. Oh yeah, right. Which I think is also like very formative for that generation, but I didn’t watch Steven Universe, I’m going to have to though.

 

Louis Virtel Are you cartoon-oriented, period? No, I don’t think so. Yeah, I can’t do it. I was just- I loved Daria, which is also kind of a queer show. Daria’s a queer-

 

Vinny Thomas Daria is a queer show, yeah. I put Daria in the queer category. What else would I do? Daria’s, yeah, oh, American dad.

 

Louis Virtel American Dad’s a gay show. One of my best friends, Nico, that is his gay show, he brings up American Dad constantly and the references therein. It is a show full of references, which is gay. Which is gay.

 

Vinny Thomas American Dad is funny. I think it’s the funniest thing Seth MacFarlane has ever made. And Roger, that homosexual alien in American Dad really is the fantasy of every gay person in the world. He puts on little wigs, he’s mean, he hits people, he’s drinking constantly. He’s so strange and funny. And I’m like, oh, I would like to be a live action version of Roger.

 

Louis Virtel You brought up Heath Ledger earlier, were you a Propec Mountain person?

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, I was definitely broke but I was the person when it came on TV the person I was a kid watching it on TV and then I would go back to something else and I have the previous button ready on my remote So if my parents walked into the room, I would slam previous and I’d be watching like a documentary about whales or something

 

Louis Virtel My God, the whole acuity with the remote. That’s so old school. Like we don’t have that anymore. Like kids aren’t switching back between channels now.

 

Vinny Thomas No, and it’s they’ve lost character because of it in a really big way

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. No, I mean, like, I remember commanding a television set that way and being like, I know what I’m watching and I know it’s going to happen when you leave the room.

 

Vinny Thomas Looking around the room as if she’s in here is actually really great. Yeah, right. No, I love broke back mountain

 

Louis Virtel We actually talked about it recently. I think that movie holds up in every way. It is a fabulous movie.

 

Vinny Thomas And in another movie where it was criticized for not having realistic sex. Do you remember there was like a whole debacle? It was like, a social media thing where everyone’s like, who does that? He just ate beans all night.

 

Louis Virtel Well, it’s also like guys I don’t think they’re like attuned to like the finer qualities of sex yet Like both those guys are like amateurish even the Jake Gyllenhaal character who is probably more experienced Yeah, you know, I could talk about that all day. Also Anna Faris is in that movie. Oh, she’s great Yes, I love Anna Fariss now the L word a show. I have not seen the entire way through First of all important just for the Jennifer Beals quotient. We needed to give her something after flashdance And I’m glad it was that will and grace I will say, when I was in high school, you could not get around, if you were an out queer person, being called either a Will or a Jack. And for that reason alone, it has to be an important show because literally, it changed people’s brains into thinking that gay people were one of two categories of thin white

 

Vinny Thomas I didn’t see Will and Grace in many ways I feel like I’m media illiterate when it comes to gay television. I’ve seen like three of the shows on this list, but they rebooted it, right? Did you watch the reboot? Yes. And they went.

 

Louis Virtel Even broader with it somehow. They really wanted to bring back the multicam feel of like, oh wow, Karen’s trapped in the shower. They really want that I love Lucy insane feeling.

 

Vinny Thomas I miss multicams. I miss when like a celebrity walks into the room and everyone applauds and they’re like

 

Louis Virtel Oh, yeah. Or if you remember, Family Matters with Urkel, like if somebody was hot, somebody would walk into the room, you know, like this, and everyone would go.

 

Vinny Thomas Family Matters, also a gay show. Urkel, a little bit homosexual. And he loved cheese. And he love cheese.

 

Louis Virtel As a little gay guy who loved cheese. Absolutely. But also he was so obsessed with Laura, who was so somebody a gay guy likes, because she was like withering and bitchy.

 

Vinny Thomas They should be like, Steve, get out of here. You can’t call people withering, it’s not right. It was withering heights up there. Oh my God. Sometimes Ryan Murphy makes things that are like the kind of clean movie versions of whatever the thing is. And I think Pose is an example of that. He did that with Ballroom where he makes it very clear. Yes. I watch Pose just for the moments where they read. Do you know what I mean? Oh, certainly.

 

Louis Virtel Funniest parts of the show.

 

Vinny Thomas Exactly when they’re like in a restaurant or oh my god in the first episode. They’re stealing from an art museum That was one of the most insane things in the world I think that actually was a brilliant opening for that show for them to break into an art Museum Steal a bunch of royal outfits and then walk In the ballroom with them. Well

 

Louis Virtel Well, I just saw Makayla Jay Rodriguez over the weekend, like ran into her. This woman looks exactly like a cross between Sharon Donna Summer. It is so shocking. I’m like, there they are. Sharon Donna summer. They’re here. One person. Which, sorry, which character was she was on pose?

 

Vinny Thomas What is that character’s name? Blanca. Yeah, okay. I do know you’re talking about her. Yes, you’re absolutely right. She does have a wheelchair. Amazing. That she doesn’t really share, amazing.

 

Louis Virtel I did love Heartstopper when I watched it. Just like, you know, like it’s important for, you know, gay kids to have the quaintest possible romances to watch too. And it was very aweshuxy. And sometimes, you know, there’s an innocence about us too. Hard to believe.

 

Vinny Thomas Sometimes I can’t watch a shuck stuff because I do this I go. Oh brother. You know what I mean brother I think it’s just too saccharine sometimes

 

Louis Virtel It was a little saccharine, but Olivia, I was like, why is Olivia Coleman on this show? This Oscar winner’s dropping into this, oh wait, she gets the big scene where she loves the gay kid, now I get it.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh, those are great scenes, when the parent knew the whole time.

 

Louis Virtel I love that. The Jennifer Garner in Love, Simon or whatever, when she’s like, shut the fuck up my gay kid or whatever she says. Yeah. She uses the F-slur five times. And she like smiles and hugs him. Fuck you. You’re gay. I love you. Well, if we had to rank the five best gay shows of all time, I’m going to say Will and Grace is the most important in terms of like Joe Biden even bringing it up and saying it’s important. Not that that means a lot.

 

Vinny Thomas And I would say for me, the most important, wait, we have to agree, yeah? Yeah, you can fight for something though. Okay, I’m gonna fight for obviously CatDog. Okay, you lost. CatDogg is number one. Let’s go ahead and put a number one by CatDawg. Okay, yes. It’s actually amazing.

 

Louis Virtel Cat dog. I think that’s amazing.

 

Vinny Thomas I think that’s amazing. It’s the Kennedy Center honoree cat dog. Exactly. That’s like that is a gay show Do you know what I mean? Right grace is like Pete Buttigieg gay cat dog is like Silver Lake gay, right?

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Oh, it makes perfect sense now. Thank you. I am going to go Will and Grace, and then I will go Queer as Folk, and then Sense8 for the daringness of it, and then let’s do Pose, and then I’m gonna put Heated Rivalry number five.

 

Vinny Thomas Okay, gotcha. I think I’m gonna do sensate for two and then I’m going to do this This documentary about parasites called monsters inside me. Oh duh on the Discovery Channel for number three and then after that probably The voice. Oh sure. Yeah, that does have a lot of gay contest. The voice is very gay There’s like a lot heroes kind of hometown heroes hometown homosexual heroes on the voice to watch the game

 

Louis Virtel To watch the gay contestant reach out to the female pop star they want and ignore Blake Shelton.

 

Vinny Thomas There’s also something very gay about how so many people have been on that show, but no one has emerged as a star out of it, you know what I mean? That show has been going on for 15 years, but no one’s gotten famous from it. It’s gay yearning, I think, at its core is The Voice. And for number five… Anytime Gwyneth Paltrow gets to sing party all the time, I’m there. I’m so removed from, I guess, a normal high school experience. Is that what it was like? And like, I don’t know. Oh, it’s a documentary. Yeah. Everyone I talked to was like very close with their teachers in a way that is at least a little reminiscent of Glee. I did not. I was not friends with. There’s a stereotype online where everyone’s like, oh, the gay guy’s best friends with his English teacher. No, I wasn’t. Yeah, right. Me and Phyllis, we’re not talking. I wasn’t hanging out with her.

 

Louis Virtel But you did know her name was Phyllis.

 

Vinny Thomas I knew her name was Phyllis, of course I knew her name is Phyllus.

 

Louis Virtel There’s there was a latent friendship possibility there. You simply passed it up. Oh, you think yeah. Damn. Okay. Anyway, what are your favorite gay shows? Tell us what they are. We’ll be right back with more keep it But before that some housekeeping the crooked store is starting the year on a high note by adding a bunch of new items For sale celebrate getting through 2025 and gear up for the midterms by snagging the merch You’ve been eyeing for less head to crooked comm slash store to shop. All right when we’re back We’re joined by the fabulous Ethan Hawke.

 

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Louis Virtel This week’s guest truly needs no introduction, but if I simply must, the actor before me is inimitable. In every sense of the word, for decades he has been an unshakable force in projects like the Before trilogy and Training Day to more recent accomplishments like FX’s The Lowdown, which I loved. Today he’s here to discuss his role as lyricist Lorenz Hart in the biopic Blue Moon. Please welcome to keep it, Ethan Hawke.

 

Ethan Hawke Hey, thanks for having me, man.

 

Louis Virtel I am thrilled to talk to you. I love this movie. I was just saying to the crew here. We get so few Bitter Queen movies. Oh my God.

 

Ethan Hawke It’s not enough in the world.

 

I’m telling you like gods and monsters. You know, these movies where it’s like, let’s meet a gay guy who is just going through some rancor, you know?

 

Ethan Hawke Yeah. Also with a blistering intellect.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Ethan Hawke Who knows how to just cut down everybody, including himself.

 

Louis Virtel Precisely. No, I was thinking the first thing that I love about this movie is that it immediately immerses you in a time and place. It’s the 1940s and his relationship with Richard Rogers is coming to an end. Richard Rogers is about to revolutionize musical theater with Oscar Hammerstein. Hart is being left behind, but there’s this air of sophistication and Broadway glamor that is still so immaculate about this movie. What did you do to put yourself in that? Space to make this movie feel so real.

 

Ethan Hawke The first thing I did was be born, because ever since I was born, I loved this space, I loved the theater. There’s an inner nerd in me that from the first time I saw a play, I wanted to be part of that. I would meet older actors and dream of being in rehearsal rooms and opening night parties. And I remember the first I went to Broadway feeling like it was a porthole to heaven, just seeing. With the intrinsic just love of that world that I’ve just possessed as a kid, when I got this script, it was like candy. I mean, Andrew Scott and I both have grown up and lived our life inside the pursuit of people like Rodgers and Hart. I’ve been at these opening night parties. I’ve met people like that, big time Broadway fabulous people and I’ve seen their intellect And I’ve seen. The passion and dedication and the life commitment in the kind of person who thinks it’s a sin against God to use the wrong word, you know? The wrong word choice is an offense to Dionysus, you now? So I love these people and luckily for me, this script was out of sight. From the first time I read it, I was like, we have to make this movie. What would it be like if we could put this on screen? Because the writing is so good, the research is so deep. So that part was easy.

 

Louis Virtel Also, something that’s interesting about this is you’re, again, working with Richard Link later, who you worked with on some of our, I’ll just say, everybody in the world’s favorite movies, movies we all love. But you also have lots of new collaborations in this. You just mentioned Andrew Scott. What was that combination like of both old time friends and collaborators and brand new people to the fold?

 

Ethan Hawke Did you ever see the Beatles doc get back? Oh, sure, a few years ago, yeah. Yeah, you remember how like, there’s a scene where the Beatles are sitting in the room and they’re just kind of bickering and not sure what to do. And all of a sudden Billy Preston walks in and they are all like keen to be Billy Prestons best friend or be the Beatle that Billy Prestin likes the most. And they start putting on a better version of themselves, the less bitchy complacent version of themself. And then before you know it, they’re rockin’ and rollin’, right? Well, I’m not comparing Rick and I to the Beatles, but I say that we aspire for that kind of energy. And there was something about Andrew coming on set, and Margaret Qualley, I have to say. Bobby Cannavale, Rick, and I have known each other a long time. Robert Capelo, the writer, we’ve all known each another a long times. And that can be great because of a shorthand and a shared vision and all that kind stuff. But it also can be cumbersome. Because we often put on our best self with a new crush, right? And Andrew walks in and we all want him to think we’re the smartest one of the group, you know? And he’s so bright and he’s funny and he comes with the same kind of skill set, the same love of the same tradition that I do. And so we got along great and he pushed Rick. And Rick pushed him and he pushed me and all of a sudden we weren’t making boyhood again, we were making Blue Moon.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, fabulous. In constructing the character of Hart, who has such a specific, as I said, bitterness to him the minute we meet him in this movie, did you add these kind of, I’ll call them affects, one at a time? How did you construct what this character would actually sound like? I was surprised to realize that there’s quite a bit of footage of Hart from the time. You can watch him collaborating with Rogers in the 1920s.

 

Ethan Hawke I know. And you learn a lot from that, but also a lot of that is posed, right? You know, they’re very careful that Larry is standing and Rogers is seated. Most of that footage, it’s very interesting how choreographed some of that stuff is. But you also see how funny is most of that footages, he’s much younger than he was at the end of his Bye! I saw all of it. I felt liberated by the fact that 97% of humanity has not seen this footage. They don’t have any preconceived notions about what Larry Hart sounds like or feels like. I mostly was drawing on people in my own life. When I was starting a lot of my mentors men, older men of the theater with this kind of intellect and this kind very specific sense of integrity. And I was drawing a lot on a specific people I knew who reminded me of what I thought Larry Hart would be like. And luckily there’s an amazing biography called The Ship Without a Sail that is just like full of details of what he was like, how he smoked cigars, what kind of jokes he thought were funny. Lots of things people said about him. And I just tried to let that filter through my imagination. But I also had other things, like this is a couple months before he died, right? So he has arthritis, he’s not at his best. He’s trying to sober up and be at his best to win Roger’s back. I don’t know, I just try to use everything I had.

 

Louis Virtel On that note, I was wondering if this was actually one of the most difficult things you’ve ever done because it’s so much dialog and this person is basically decomposing before our eyes, both physically, as you just said, but also he’s sort of giving into his own misery in a way. And the combination of all that feels very daunting. I was wonder if this is one of the most kind of difficult roles you’ve had to take.

 

Ethan Hawke It definitely was. I didn’t see it coming either. I love this script so much. I just thought it would be really fun. I realized how many obstacles there were. You know, Rick was very clear. He spent years of his life editing my performances. So he knows every trick in my toolbox. And he didn’t want to see any of them. He had this thing with me that he said before we started is I don’t want to see you until we wrap. Meaning I want to See Larry Hart. And when we do certain takes and things would go well. Or I felt they went well, he’d come over to me and say, hey, I saw you. And that meant that this is not good. Wow. So the way Larry speaks, what his sense of a joke is, certain vocal affectations, things that were my go-to moves, hand gestures, things I’ve done throughout my life, things like Rick wanted to erase them all. It was kind of a deductive process where at first we just basically got rid of me. And I tried to be as simple as possible. And once enough was reduced, we could start to find what Larry’s playfulness might be and make sure it was different than Ethan’s. You know, that combined with the hair and makeup and the height and everything like that, it was definitely the two most difficult jobs in my life, I think, were Larry Hart and John Brown. You know this thing I did, Good Lord Bird. Those are the two hardest things.

 

Louis Virtel This role does not remind me of a single other thing you’ve ever done, like the way you’re speaking, the way your interacting with other characters. So it feels like it must have been incredibly daunting to delete all of yourself.

 

Ethan Hawke It was, I had this kind of really strange year last year where Sterling Harjo gave me a fastball down the middle, like a part I felt born to play. It was like right in my wheelhouse and it was so much fun. So I got to do that. And then Rick was asking me to hit like a curve ball on the, you know, slightly out of the box. You know, it was like the hardest pitch to hit I’ve ever faced. And I did them both in the same year and it was a great, great experience.

 

Louis Virtel I hope to adopt this as a new gay euphemism. He’s a curveball out of the box.

 

Ethan Hawke Ha ha ha!

 

Louis Virtel If you will.

 

Ethan Hawke Beautiful one.

 

Louis Virtel I want to say also your performance is obviously a huge contender this award season. I’ve seen you speak so passionately about movies and the joy of making movies and so many great mentors you’ve had over the years. How do you contend with something like award season which commodifies movies in kind of a different way? Is it a fun time for you or do you have to kind of remind yourself why you’re in the business as you go through the rigmarole of campaigning for an award?

 

Ethan Hawke It’s active spiritual work, you know, because selling yourself doesn’t feel good. And yet at the same time, you have to kind of see yourself as an ambassador for film and not fall into the competition aspect of it, but see the value that the competition has for audiences. We want the world to care about movies. So what’s great about the Oscars and all these different award shows is it makes people wanna see movies. Hey, I didn’t even see that movie. I want to see that movie. Why are they saying Amanda Seyfried is so great in that movie? I haven’t even heard of that movie, I want see that move. What’s that Rose Byrne movie, you know? Wagner Mora, who’s he? I want, you don’t mean, so it’s all good for the movies. And you have to really realize that we’re all working for film. And if you get yourself in that mindset, well, okay, wouldn’t it be awesome if a little movie like Blue Moon would just… What I love about Blue Moon is it assumes an intelligence in the part of the audience that is rather uncommon. You know, it treats you as an equal. And I feel proud of it. And I want movies like this to get made, right? I’m grateful to the people who financed the film, right. I mean, I’m really grateful to them and I want them to make their money back and I them to be glad they made it. So I’ve got to play this game. But I also can’t get confused about like. Competition with my peers? No. It’s a giant kind of victory lap designed. So you have to walk yourself through it. Does that make sense?

 

Louis Virtel Totally. And I was just going to ask also, does this mean you’ve seen a lot of these other movies that have come out recently? You’ve seen something like someone who’s just up on movies period, like it’d be very rare if there was a time you weren’t up on things.

 

Ethan Hawke Well, I love movies, sometimes I get more busy than I want to be and I get annoyed, but it’s my favorite thing to do. You know, when Rick and I were young, like a good day was a three movie day. That was a good today. And then, you know, you start having kids and you start, like, it gets really hard to have a three-movie day. But, I mean, I saw Secret Agent last night, which I hadn’t seen, and I’ve just been talking about it all morning, I was just floored. Have you seen that film?

 

Louis Virtel That and Anne Lee are the two movies I have not seen yet.

 

Ethan Hawke Okay. All right. Good. Well, you’ve got I’ve seen both of them. They’re both like gonzo Awesome, and they’re not what you think they are. They weren’t what I thought they were anyway But yeah, i’ve seen a lot of the films this year and I feel really Happy to be part of this whole awards season in a season where people are so up on movies, you know, sometimes I hate when I see these articles like yeah, we think this person’s gonna win the oscar, but It’s such a piss poor year for film. I mean Winning the championship when everyone else is injured. You know, I mean, you know, you want to win the finals when playing the best, right? You know? Sinners is amazing. Michael B. Jordan is incredible. Leo’s incredible. Timothee Chalamet is incredible, Jill Egerton is unbelievable in Train Dreams. Dwayne Johnson is incredible in Smashing Machine. You know it’s like all these unbelievable performances that I feel really, really proud to be in the game with.

 

Louis Virtel Speaking of conversations about movies, I feel like you have been a part of some of my favorite conversations on screen period. Obviously we’re talking about the before movies, but like plenty of other ones, Boyhood, et cetera, and Blue Moon included. I was wondering as somebody who has seen seemingly everything, what your favorite conversations to watch in a movie have been? Are there two actors who really nail the particular moment of dialog that you still think about?

 

Ethan Hawke One of the things that pops into my mind is dog day afternoon with Pacino and Chris Sarandio. Sonny, you want me to go to Algiers with you? I’ve been trying to get away from you all summer!

 

Louis Virtel Everybody in that movie. Oh my god Mr. Cazal?

 

Ethan Hawke Yeah, yeah. Kiss me, kiss me. When I get fucked, I like to get kissed. I got to work with Sidney Lumet and he wasn’t like Linklater. He’s not scared of dialog. He understood that language and human expression is part of our reality, that it’s not just a visual medium. Yes, it is a visual medium, but it’s also able to. Utilize the power of language and the power of great writing. So, you know, when I think of great dialog movies, Sydney pops into my mind, you 12 Angry Men, Network, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon. You know, all these movies are ripe with unbelievable nuance of language.

 

Louis Virtel Now, you just brought up Sidney Lumet, who I believe is a featured interview in the Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward project you did a few years ago. I am obsessed with Joanne woodward and of course Paul Newman. I think HUD’s probably my favorite movie of the 60s. When, what did you get from doing that project? Like what lasts with you about having dove into the world of these two people who had kind of very different presences on screen, but constantly belong together too.

 

Ethan Hawke Well, that is a fantastic question because they are so interesting. It’s like one is the sun and one is moon, you know, and they function in such beautiful balance. And one of the joys of making that documentary, you know a lot of the documentaries about artists and in drug addiction and really sad stories of faded talent and lost integrity. And in the Newman-Woodward story. Is one about two really bright young people who fall in love and grow into mature, gorgeous, intelligent, responsible citizens. And it was an unbelievable process. The thing was like six episodes, like six hours. And yeah, they go through their trials and tribulations, but they keep growing until at the end of their life. They’re doing some of the best work of their life and they’re giving back hundreds of millions of dollars. These are people that gave away more money than they have. It’s not like they’re, you know, like, oh, wow, great, this billionaire gave away a million dollars. All right, great. It’s like that change could fall out of his pocket. Newman and Woodward, they built their life around being responsible citizens and they also made great art and they all so stayed in love. What I loved about digging into it is that wasn’t easy. It’s not like God bestowed on them. Like, oh, you shall be blessed and you get to live a fairytale life. No, they had the hard conversations. They cried tears. They lost children and they kept working through it. And yeah, I found, I made that movie when I was 50, and it was a great kind of meditation. On how to look at embracing the values of what is good about getting older. We’re often told what’s bad about getting old, but it’s just because we don’t really put a high value on wisdom, grace, and integrity. We’re so superficial, it’s unbelievable. We just all like But in Cool Hand Luke, he had killer abs, you know? And yeah, they were fucking sexy, man. You know, there’s no doubt. But I don’t know, I loved making it. And I thought it did a good job for me and my wife when we were working on setting the compass of what your priorities are, and giving you something to aspire for that’s different than what average culture is kind of selling.

 

Louis Virtel You’ve also been very vocal about who your kind of early acting mentors were. You obviously worked with Robin Williams early on. You talked about how you were really into River Phoenix. Philip Seymour Hoffman has come up. I was wondering, how have these long time sort of beacons for you still resonated as you continue to work? Do you think of these people often as you’re doing the work of acting?

 

Ethan Hawke Well, I do, but you also have to understand that one of the things that the press loves is, you know, what gets a good story is the sadness around people passing, you know? And all the people you just mentioned are people we lost. And so, yeah, they occupy a space that is vulnerable in my psyche. And, you now, I had a dream the other night about Natasha Richardson, you, know? And she was in my first film I directed, and I loved her and. Although those people haunt you in a way that are different than the people who are alive, but who I also feel I’m getting a little tired of listening to myself talk about, you know, the people that we’ve lost because there’s so many wonderful people that inspire me who are who are live. You know, I saw John Legasamo’s play the other day. It was absolutely brilliant. I saw Lori Metcalf’s play the other it was absolutely brill- Just saw it too. She was unbelievable. She is one of like the greatest actors in that America. She’s a national treasure, you know. I got to work with Peter Dinklage on the lowdown this year and those experiences of acting with him feed me. My friend Josh Charles has a new show coming out and he’s been so supportive to me over the years and we kind of stare at each other across like, are we staying true to ourselves? Are we staying through? You know, he was in Dead Poets Society with me. Yeah. You know, are you still the guy that we said we wanted to be? You know like, those friendships are very valuable. My friendship with Richard Linklater, obviously, you know, it needs to be talked about that Bobby Cannavale is responsible for my performance and Rose Byrne’s performance too, the best. He’s kind of the secret MVP, right? Everything he touches. I just want to shout out to the people who are alive too.

 

Louis Virtel Hell yeah. Please. I don’t know. I’m so glad you brought up that Laurie Metcalf performance because I believe that ended. And I just want to say that nobody stomps off a stage better than Laurie Metcaf. I was literally just laughing at the way she would leave the stage.

 

Ethan Hawke I tell you, I got to direct her once in a Sam Shepard play and it was like acting energy drink or something like that. If you ever think you’re good at acting, go work with Laurie Metcalf and you realize you don’t know nothing, you know, because she’s an inspiration and she has been since I was a kid, you knows, what they accomplished with Steppenwolf, there’s very few American Theater companies that really rock the world and rock the way that we think about drama. And Steppenwolf did that. And so to have gotten to work with her and kind of absorb that energy, because it’s rock and roll is what SteppenWolf is. I mean, whatever that magic that rock and role is, they put it into theater. And it’s vital and needed where theater doesn’t become some kind of library, erudite thing. It’s alive and buoyant and sexual and. Spiritual and so Laurie’s hats off to her.

 

Louis Virtel Ethan, thank you so much for being here. I mean, like Blue Boon is such a pleasure. I mean everything you’ve done is such, I’m so glad you’re still working with Richard Link later. It’s nice that some things can just continue and continue and get better and better.

 

Ethan Hawke I hope so, I think this is just the beginning, we’ve just been warming up, the best is yet to come. I’m glad to hear it.

 

Louis Virtel Thank you so much for being here.

 

Ethan Hawke All right. Thanks for having me.

 

Louis Virtel Thank you to Ethan Hawke for joining us. You can watch Blue Moon On Demand right now. Okay. When we’re back, it’s more Keep It.

 

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Louis Virtel Award season is in full swing, which means there is yet another Timothee Chalamet picture to dig into. Chalamets starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa Asayan, Tyler, the creator, and more in Josh Safdie’s latest film, Marty Supreme. Now Vinny, having seen the film, do you think it was worth having that giant blimp over LA?

 

Vinny Thomas  I love stunts. I do. I love stunts and gags and promotional jokes. I think they’re awesome before the movie came out I didn’t even know what it was. I went into an AMC and they had Like a gumball machine filled with martyr supreme ping-pong balls. Oh, and I immediately looked at it I thought oh, what is this and one of the the AMC people overheard me and they’re like, do you want one? I said, I don’t know girl. Can I have one? He said yes And he gave me and my friends tokens to put in the gumball machine. And we all cranked out our own little Marty Supreme ping pong ball. Oh, cute. He’s one of the first people there to see the gumba. I had no idea what the movie was about. I think that’s great. I felt like I was a part of it, whatever the movie was at that point, I was like, I don’t care how good it is. It’s just so fun. And then Timothee Chalamet all over the place on social media doing sketches with Drusky, like assessing Druskys strange little guests. Crazy, crazy for Timothe Chalamett to have stooped that far. But fun, you know?

 

Louis Virtel Also, the hardcore promo going into this movie is also of a piece with the movie, which is about promo. You know, like him like desperately trying to sell Ping Pong and himself as this celebrity. But you’re right, I wanna say I’ve gotten over it by now, but Timothee Chalamet being truly among the straightest people ever to live, I still have the embers of call me by your name in my mind. I’m not saying I need him to be that character, to be Elio, but it’s like… Man, you are a really good actor because you are a heterosexual for sure.

 

Vinny Thomas You would describe it as one of the straightest people ever to live.

 

Louis Virtel Yes! Oh, excuse me, everything about him is, like, vibing with Druski, did you just hear what you said?

 

Vinny Thomas I don’t know. To me, it just strikes me as like a white person who sometimes is wearing a durag or whatever. Okay. Do you know what I mean? But that’s not gay exactly. No, but I think sometimes he makes choices fashion-wise that, oh no, actually his fashion is pretty straight. Yeah. Now that I think about it- Like straight? When he’s wearing the orange suit, the orange leather suit, I’m like, oh, that’s a straight guy outfit for sure. Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right. Like it’s flashy, but it’s not.

 

Louis Virtel As we used to say.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, but it’s not it’s, not like tactful. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, but also

 

Louis Virtel Lending legitimacy to the Kardashians is one of the straightest things you can do. I know they have gay fans.

 

Vinny Thomas I just don’t know how it’s possible. You know who dresses really well and really gay. Oh shoot, what’s his name from Sing Sing? Oh, Coleman Domingo. Coleman Dmingo. Oh, has-

 

Louis Virtel I believe he was born in snake skin.

 

Vinny Thomas It’s unbelievably gorgeous, his clothes. Do you know what I mean?

 

Louis Virtel Also just the timber of his voice.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh, everything. The timbre, the clothes, the timber.

 

Louis Virtel The being gay. Yeah.

 

Vinny Thomas Sorry, I’m having a realization that the word which I thought for years was pronounced timber is actually pronounced tamber.

 

Louis Virtel I think it can be pronounced both ways. I took a history of jazz class in college.

 

Vinny Thomas I’m so sorry.

 

Louis Virtel And they pronounced it tam-ber.

 

Vinny Thomas You took a history of jazz class at college? I love that.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Vinny Thomas Five, six, seven, eight.

 

Louis Virtel I know. Everything. Yes. What did you think of Marty Supreme?

 

Vinny Thomas I loved, I thought Marty Supreme was a great movie. Yeah. I had a lot of fun. I was on the edge of my seat, obviously 100% of the time, because that character is messy and dangerous. And I don’t know, I thought it was a lot like Uncut Gems, but I really liked it. I thought was amazing.

 

Louis Virtel I have to say, this movie plus Rose Burns, If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You, the Jennifer Lawrence movie I just saw, Die My Love, this is the most stressful year of Oscar movies ever. They do not give you a moment’s fucking peace in these movies. Also, like in Marty Supreme, he’s a pretty funny character. There are funny moments and stuff. It is pretty much two and a half hours of pure stress. And it’s almost vignette style. He goes from one situation to another that are a little bit disconnected, but each one is just. I can’t believe how much this character is going through and putting himself through.

 

Vinny Thomas And as someone who struggles with acid reflux, it was really intense to like have a big meal and watch that and constantly be like really like tense and balled up. I really liked it. I thought it was great. I don’t know. I thought I thought was worth the promo. I almost wish every movie had that level of promo, even if it’s like a small movie or even like a huge ridiculous blockbuster, you know, it just had a sense of humor about itself. Totally. That I really like and felt very relatable.

 

Louis Virtel You’re right, it’s not a self-serious movie, especially given how serious certain things in the movie are. Sometimes you just want to be in the thrall of a very cocky character. It’s sort of like the Safdie Brothers version of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or something where it’s this one guy and the way he sees the world and he’s running things and you You just have to follow him, and you’re like… Well, he’s the one making the calls. It’s all on him if it falls apart, you know? And so you’re kind of waiting for both him to succeed and to fail at the same time.

 

Vinny Thomas I often find him in the habit of categorizing movies for different family members, right? And I think Marty Supreme is definitely a movie for older brothers. Do you know what I mean? Marty Supreme’s a movie for older brother. Your older brother will love Marty Supreme. I thought it was a lot of fun, but I know if I bring my brother to it, he will be gagged over Marty Supreme, in the same way that Jack Reacher is a television show for dads. Marty Supreme is a movie for older bothers, for sure. This isn’t a-

 

Louis Virtel This is an important categorization, because you’re right, it is about like, I want to run things and I’ve decided I’m the hero of my own story, which feels very older, brother. You know what I mean? Like, I elect myself to this position kind of thing.

 

Vinny Thomas Also it’s like, you know, there’s cars, there are guns, there is knives, it’s like that’s an older brother.

 

Louis Virtel Who is your favorite non-Chalomé performance in the movie?

 

Vinny Thomas Oh, there were actually a lot of good ones. I was surprised to see Tyler, the creator, in a period piece. Yes. He was a surprise. There was a lot like surprise casting in that movie.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, it is wild who’s in this movie. Sandra Bernhardt is in this movie. Fran Drescher plays his mom.

 

Vinny Thomas Fran Drescher, Fran Dressher might have been my favorite. She was very like dressed down, very plain. She was just good. She wasn’t in very much of it, but the part she was in, I was like, oh, Fran dresser is doing a really good job. I can’t totally recognize her as Fran Dresser. Nagging him in a fun way.

 

Louis Virtel Nagging him in a fun way too. Yeah, I mean like the way he cast or his movies is pretty funny Like Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank plays a major role in this I am so sorry to say this MAGA head is really good in the movie

 

Vinny Thomas No, I won’t I won say it

 

Louis Virtel But additionally like literally in the movie his character says I’m gonna make you an offer and The movie is so good. You don’t groan at the shark tank reference. I I’ll be honest. I groaned. Oh you did I think it’s

 

Vinny Thomas he’s too famous for me to like suspend my disbelief at him just being a carrot. You know, it was like, okay, we get it.

 

Louis Virtel You know, he plays the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow’s character, who is this movie star who basically retired from the screen, but Timothee Chalamet tries romancing her over the phone. He sees her pass by in a hotel. My fucking God is it good to see her again. I just think she has her like frostiness and yet this kind of like that Gwynneth Peltrow like limp sense of whatever. And yet she’s in total control. Like she feels like an old school movie star. It’s really well cast.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, it was good to see and I’ve never seen her as like an old-school movie star before Yeah, so for her to be holding like a long cigarette and like smoking in the lobby of a hotel Great amazing also incredible job. I think wall-to-wall everyone did a great job even Kevin O’Leary. I do think he did a good job I just I thought he was distracting but everything it is

 

Louis Virtel It is a very weird choice. Like, why not just pick an actor?

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, I wonder if there’s maybe an actor who could have done that really well, who maybe, you know, could have used a job right now at a point in the industry when everyone needs jobs. Maybe we don’t need to be like casting billionaires to be in movies. I guess I don’t get it. Right. If indeed he is a billionaire. I have no idea.

 

Louis Virtel I’m very confused about how much money everybody on Shark Tank has because it feels both like a lie and like they’re not making a real deal. It’s really none of our business. Do you know what I mean? It’s rude to ask. It’s a show for moms. Yes. Oh, quite. Unless it’s a CNBC marathon, then it’s for your great grandparents. Then it’s great grandparents in the hospital, absolutely, because that’s what they leave on. Right. Precisely. I’m trying to think of what else I liked about this movie. Well, I will say if I had a problem with it, did you see One Battle After Another? They did, yeah. Okay, another very entertaining movie. Afterwards you get out of it, and I kind of felt like it was about nothing.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, I think that’s fine. You know what I mean? But that’s just it, it’s fine!

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, you know, so it’s like for one battle after another to be the frontrunner for best picture and this this isn’t quite in The same bracket, but it’ll almost certainly get a best picture nomination I would have liked it to have maybe a couple more themes that weren’t just watch this tenacious asshole Try to get his way. Yeah, and maybe sort of be confronted with Emotional stakes at the end of the movie when spoiler alert his woman’s child is born. Have you seen the plague?

 

Vinny Thomas No, not yet. I heard it was really good. I’d seen the plague right before Marty Supreme. The ending is incredible. Like it’s very, it’s moving, it’ interesting. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat in a really different way, in a more intense way. So they’re similar in that regard, but I think because the ending of that movie was so good, I do agree that maybe it would have been nice if Marty Supreme felt a little more weighted. I also, it would’ve been fine to me if that character, Marty Supreme, ended like kind of nothing in a really dark, sad place, you know? Like if he’s just like in Japan alone playing ping pong destitute, like that would have been a fine ending too. But I think part of it was I don’t want to run. I can’t run the ending by all means great. I think what they were trying to do is like a little bit of subtlety. Is he crying because he’s so happy he has a child or is he crying? Because now he’s forced into this box of like, I have to be a father and I have raise this child, and I’m now going to be nobody, which is… For the entire movie. He never wanted to be nobody Yeah So I think there was supposed to be an element of subtlety there where you’re trying to figure out why he’s crying But it really just felt like he was crying with joy, which was nice, but I think just fine

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, I think that’s well said. I will say about Timothee Chalamet, if he wins the Oscar for this movie, and I have to say that feels pretty inevitable at this point. Like I don’t think Leo was going to jump up. He did a great job. I don t think Leo is going to jump up with a win. We just said Ethan Hawke was fabulous. I think he’s probably going to win the Oscar for this. It’s not my favorite character he’s ever played.

 

Vinny Thomas Really? I really like this character for him.

 

Louis Virtel I like it, I think it’s like a fun, cocky, you can’t keep your eyes off him character. But I just want to say, when I watch Timothee Chalamet give these interviews and he’s talking about how he’s chasing greatness and he brings up people like Marlon Brando, which by all means do that, I want people who know who Marlon brando is. When I think of those actors, I think a big part of what they do are broad, scary characters who maybe have a moment of sensitivity at the end or maybe have character turn. The best role he ever did was something Marlon Brando could not have done and that was Elio in Call Me By Your Name. I hate when people underestimate that movie. He was fucking amazing in it. The slowness of the film, the gentleness of his feelings mixed with, you know, if you ever read that book, it’s like a wash in inner dialog. Like it feels unfilmable. And yet in this movie that has no narration, literally just looking at him, you feel like you get all of it. That is so amazing.

 

Vinny Thomas I mean, it’s the same way, and Dune is also awash with inner dialog, but he managed to do it.

 

Louis Virtel That probably is his second best to me.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, yeah, as Paul Atreides, I guess it was just cool to see him. Sometimes with Timothy Chalamet, I guess I don’t necessarily know a ton of guys in real life who kind of look like Timothy Chalamet, you know what I mean? He’s got a very specific appearance. He’s a kind of a smaller guy. Yeah. So I so I think it was cool to see him as this character, which is I think definitely someone I could see him as in real live, which is just kind of this small kind of ping pong player. Who’s very like self-important and obsessed with himself. I’m like, oh, that to me is very believable, you know? Sometimes in the more fantastical things, it doesn’t always click with me that like Timothy Chalamet is that guy, but this was, he did a great job, I think.

 

Louis Virtel I think you’re probably right that he has to relate to this character, because it feels like him. In the promo, he’s sort of giving that come one, come all to this giant movie experience. There’s a P.T. Barnum quality to the Marty character, who is based on a real person, by the way.

 

Vinny Thomas I’m sure so much of the bravado was on purpose like the ball and Brando stuff was I’m Sure ramping up for this movie specifically. Yeah, I think I also was very smart be a little weird in interviews. Yeah

 

Louis Virtel By the way, Odessa Azzayan, I kind of am surprised she’s not more in the conversation for this movie. Oh, yeah. Great performance. I mean, like, as somebody who wants another Oscar nomination for Gwyneth Paltrow, I can’t in good faith give it to her when Odessa had more scenes and-

 

Vinny Thomas more to do she was incredible she was um there’s you know it’s me saying this about everyone all the time but I do think she did a really good job

 

Louis Virtel No, when you watch, she’s on I Love L.A., and that’s a performance you watch and think, oh, that’s amusing, I don’t know that I’m watching an acting powerhouse right now. And in this movie, she is extremely commanding and hard to stop watching, and a good match for Marty. Yeah.

 

Vinny Thomas And I also believed her lie. You know what I mean? She lies in the movie and I didn’t realize it was a lie. It totally threw me for a loop. I gasped when that mascara ran off of her face.

 

Louis Virtel That was, that’s a very funny scene. Almost Scooby-Doo level, like bad guy deception.

 

Vinny Thomas When they’re yelling when they’re, yelling in that home when his parents are asleep i Was shocked that that’s one of the hardest things for me to sit through when i watch a movie is someone Embarrassing themselves or someone disrupting someone else’s parents so i’m like sitting down like, to quite quite quite Quite quite quite but they can’t stop hollering and we all know People, who are like that who just cannot stop holler ring she did a great job she killed it

 

Louis Virtel Also, I must say that the look of this movie is also fab like they really capture like the early 50s and Just like everyone being a little paler than usual, you know, it has that has almost a film noir quality to it

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, Tyler, the creator, I think they gave him a receding hairline. Yeah, it would that it was an interesting guy. And at first I was watching and I was like, is he supposed to be older? And then I was, like, no, that’s kind of a weird judgment on my part. A lot of guys have receding hair lines who are younger. It’s totally normal. They just made him a normal guy.

 

Louis Virtel You know? P.S., by the way, speaking of musicians giving great performances in movies, if you haven’t seen the Rose Byrne movie, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, ASAP Rocky, so good in them. All right, what did you think of Marty Supreme? Actually, I want to say maybe it’s more of a best picture nominee than I’m thinking, even though one battle after another is almost certain to win anyway. Tell me all your thoughts. We’ll be right back with our favorite segment of the episode, Keep It. And we’re back with the snarkiest part of our episode, it’s keep it.

 

Vinny Thomas And keep it to today. I am so hesitant to like make fun of movies because I think every movie is a miracle at the end of the day.

 

Louis Virtel Well, let me say, even as a very mean, critical person, I agree, it’s impossible to get a movie made.

 

Vinny Thomas But I think sometimes a conversation needs to be had, and I do think it’s time to have a conversation about Avatar because I saw Avatar, Fire and Ash, and that is one of the most racially weird, strange movies I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what the message is. So much of it is about like these characters who are, they’re Navi, right? They’re blue people, but they used to be white people first, and now they’re blue and. The only blue people with special magical powers are the ones who were white first, and everyone’s kind of obsessive over them. This movie specifically is about a little white boy who got left behind by the humans, and how all the Navis should accept him because he’s one of you guys now. We left him behind. I don’t know, I wasn’t gagging over it. I thought it was a strange choice. Nateri, Zoe Sedona’s character, keeps referring to the humans as the pink people, as like a pejorative. Which is very strange to me because if I was the Navi, right, if I was a 10 foot tall blue alien, 10 feet tall, I don’t know that the first thing I would call humans is pink, right? It would probably be like short.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, elves or something. Yeah, I don’t know.

 

Vinny Thomas Yeah, I don’t know. I figure out some pejorative for being teeny tiny little bugs or something, but he’s specifically using the word pink I I don’t know because the humans are allegorical for white people. Everything is very strange. I didn’t like the movie It’s three hours long and it’s like I don’t know if you’re not Lord of the Rings The unmitigated gall to make a movie three hours Long and every fifth word in that movie mind you is bro every fifth. Word in that move Swear to God is bro. Watch out bro. Love you, bro. Let’s go bro. There’s a line in that movie. That’s take that buttholes No, take that butt holes something something the human boy yells out. I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault I I think it I don’t

 

Louis Virtel I think it might be James’s.

 

Vinny Thomas No, I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault. Listen, I think it is a beautiful movie. I love the science fiction of it. I love like the biology of Pandora. Not totally sure why aliens on a different planet need to be like sexy and have breasts like that’s an interesting choice. But, you know, it is what it is. We got to get people in the theater somehow.

 

Louis Virtel Look, I’m aware that these movies are epic. I am blown away that the movie is three hours and 20 minutes long. Like David Lean would like like Lawrence of Arabia. Like that’s acceptable. Gone with the Wind. She goes through, well, like 70 marriages in that movie. That’s fine. I believe these are thin aliens.

 

Vinny Thomas In combat. There was there was no reason for it. There’s there’s so much to talk about that the only the shortest way to describe it as racially weird is just you’re like sitting there kind of like a little bit uncomfortable the entire time. Not sure what they’re trying to say or like needs to happen. But it’s often boring. It’s a little repetitive. Visually it’s really pretty. There are a lot of pretty colors and cool animals and they’re like doing great things.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, I feel like he doesn’t have the bandwidth for that kind of conversation and maybe should have just left it on the, let’s just keep it bro-to-bro level in terms of combat and not go any deeper than.

 

Vinny Thomas And look, I was I loved I thought the first avatar was fine, you know I thought it was a fine movie then I watched the second one and they lost me a little bit and I think after this one I just I can’t I cannot go back

 

Louis Virtel Well, unfortunately, my keep it is in the same realm as yours, and it involves the maestro of Avatar himself. I’m sorry, James. James Cameron, who dredged up an argument I’ve heard 10,000 times and is never true, and I’m going to read what he said. He goes, I don’t think about the Academy Awards that much intentionally. I don’t think about that at this point. I don try to make a movie to appeal to their sensibility. They don’t tend to honor films like Avatar or films that are science fiction. Sci-fi is almost never properly recognized. Denis Villeneuve made these two magnificent Dune films, and apparently these films make themselves because he wasn’t even considered as a director, not even by the director’s guild. What? First of all, James, nobody has been more excited to win an Oscar than you, where you literally said, I’m the king of the world, a quote from your own movie as you won the Oscar. So let’s not pretend it’s not exciting, not a boon for a director period. He said I’m king of world as he won an Oscar? Yes, he did. I love Hollywood. And secondly, both the Dune movies and both the Avatar movies were nominated for Best Picture. It sounds like what you’re saying is, you don’t like that they weren’t given every award in sight. And the fact of the matter is, James Cameron, you aren’t interested in other movies. All you are interested in is one genre of film. That’s not what the point of the Oscars is. It’s not a genre category. It’s to celebrate all movies and to celebrate movies that specifically aren’t blockbusters. If we don’t have the Oscurs, there is no centralized conversation about movies that don’t make a billion dollars at the box office, period. I hate when people pretend like, Oh, it’s like this. You know, extra conversation we add that we don’t need. Can’t we just respect art as it is? We can’t actually. We need something formal in place so that we can talk about all these movies in conversation. You remember movies like Marty Supreme if you’re comparing it to Blue Moon, if you are comparing it to whatever else is coming out at the time. I think the Oscars engender a real and fun and thoughtful conversation and does it get wrapped up in some like odious campaigning here and there? I do think it does, but it’s also important. Yeah.

 

Vinny Thomas I love science fiction, and I do think it often gets the credit it deserves. I guess I don’t know. Right, they’re gigantic hits. Yeah, they are massive hits. Like I’m supposed to sit here and pretend like people didn’t like Arrival. You know what I mean? Yeah, right. People loved it. I think just with this one, specifically, it is kind of Avatar is something you go to see for the shapes and colors. It’s not necessarily for the story, which is so like strange and a little bit overwrought. And I don’t know, like the casting choices are weird. Why instead of introducing a new character, did you have to? Put Sigourney Weaver in the body of a 14-year-old Sigourne Weaver as an avatar.

 

Louis Virtel I do think there should be a TV show like The Comeback that is just about Sigourney Weaver being asked to be a slinky 14-year-old teenager in a sci-fi movie. We just watch her go about her day.

 

Vinny Thomas And by the way, that character is being set up as this messionic figure that can speak to the Na’vi people’s god. Isn’t it a little weird? Isn’t a little bit weird that that character had to be a clone of a human on that planet and isn’t one of the Navi people? Like isn’t that a little strange? I just think if you’re giving magical powers to someone, why do they have to be white person with magical powers?

 

Louis Virtel You know what we’re putting Sigourney Weaver in the new Tomb Raider show? I love Sigourny Weaver, she deserves it. No, I’m excited. She deserves everything that comes her way. No, but I was going to say, I am disappointed that she’s not the Tomb Raid. Please, imagine if she were leaping from cliff to cliff.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh my God, what did I just see her in? Probably most movies. She’s in all of them. Yeah, she’s in them. I just saw her in something. It was great. I love superhero.

 

Louis Virtel I hope it was Heartbreakers, which is one of the great comedies of all time. Gene Hackman, may you rest. Who are you pointing to? Just God. Just got. Lingers over the studio. Just got! Oh, Working Girl, she’s amazing and I could go on and on. She’s, Year of Living Dangerously, plenty of movies. Alien, aliens. Alien, saw an alien, yeah. Oh yeah. She’s great. She was like an unknown when they cast Alien. Do you know why they picked her? They showed test audiences, all these actresses, and they said that she reminded them the most of Jane Fonda. And so they picked here.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh wow!

 

Louis Virtel People say that about me all the time as well. Jane Fonda? Jane Fada? Oh, there’s no way to know. Where’s Lily? Anyway. Who is Lily, bitch? Toddlin. Oh my god. Keep up. I can’t be here. Keep up! Vinny, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. Also, you’re a fucking delight. Thanks for…

 

Vinny Thomas Seeing every movie in sight for us this week. Oh, thank you guys. I really buckled in.

 

Louis Virtel Good. Yeah.

 

Vinny Thomas Saw Marty Supreme at the Grove by the way for this podcast. Oh, yeah. Well, that’s where I see most movies now How do we feel about that the Grove? Yeah, I think it’s fine because I’m in I’m on stubs. I’m a stubs I’ma stubs diva. Oh please I stop right in the north to well I go to the Grove and I eat at the little and cash only Indonesian place at the grove

 

Louis Virtel Oh, do you know where I ate the empanada stand at the Grove?

 

Vinny Thomas Oh, okay. But if I’m with friends and I’m feeling a little bad, I do the Cheesecake Factory at the Americana and I sit on the balcony.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, outside. Watch the fountains. Exactly. Yeah. You’re like, play that Michael Buble.

 

Vinny Thomas Oh.

 

Louis Virtel Love, him.

 

Vinny Thomas Where can people find you if they’re looking for you? You guys can find me on Instagram, TikTok and threads at v-i-n-n underscore a-y-y. You can also see me on platonic and a movie that’s coming out probably soon called Judgment Day. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel Fabulous.

 

Vinny Thomas Of course.

 

Louis Virtel Thank you for joining us, Vinny Thomas.

 

Vinny Thomas Thank YOU for having me.

 

Louis Virtel And thanks to the fabulous Ethan Hawke for joining us. And thanks to you for coming back to us in 2026. We’ll be back with more Keep It next week. See you then. Don’t forget to follow Crooked Media on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to Keep It on YouTube for access to full episodes and other exclusive content. And if you’re as opinionated as we are, consider dropping us a review. Keep It is a Crooked media production. Our producer is Bill McGrath. Our associate producer is Kennedy Hill. And our executive producers are Louis Virtel, Ira Madison III, and Kendra James. Our digital team is Delon Villanueva, Claudia Sheng, and Rachel Gaewski. This episode was recorded and mixed by Jerik Centeno. Thank you to David Toles, Kyle Seglin, and Charlotte Landes for production support every week. Our head of production is Matt DeGroot. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.